Report: Irish drivers list some of the biggest distractions when behind the wheel

Findings from a new report has suggested that Irish drivers find that some of the biggest distractions when behind the wheel are their passengers, their wandering thoughts, and using their mobile phones.

Research from Allianz Ireland, conducted by Coyne Research in May amongst 1,000 adults revealed that 37% of Irish drivers blame their wandering thoughts for taking their mind of the road.

Another 37% claimed that passengers are responsible for distracting them while behind the wheel while 21% of drivers said that their children caused them to lose focus on driving.

However, the report also uncovered a broad range of driving distractions that afflicted Irish motorists. These were identified by drivers as:

Mobile phone – 28% found they interfered with their driving

Pedestrians– 27% of drivers claimed they were distracting

Surrounding scenery – 26% believed their surroundings took their eyes off the road

The car stereo – 20% blamed the car stereo for breaking their concentration

Driving under the Influence of Social Media

Smartphone (Pic: Inside Ireland.ie)

Allianz’s research also looked at the role of social media in distracting drivers and found that overall, 25% of Irish drivers have used the internet or social media while driving. One in 10 Irish drivers have Googled something while on the road.

The research found the most the most likely drivers to be distracted by social media are aged between 18-34 years of age.

Sean McGrath, CEO, Allianz said we must remember last year the Road Safety Authority highlighted that driver distraction plays a role in 20-30% of all road collisions and is a significant contributory factor in over 1,400 fatal and injury collisions annually here in Ireland.

“Drivers need to prioritise road safety when behind the wheel. Please put the phone away and keep distractions to a minimum, if you find your thoughts and attention wandering, that may be a sign of fatigue, and you should take a break, such small steps could save your life.”

2017 Road Safety Index

The 2017 Road Safety Performance Index by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) showed that Ireland moved up from fifth to fourth place in the EU Member State rankings for road safety. Ireland had the fourth largest decline in road deaths amongst the EU28 countries between 2016 and 2017; a total of 157 people lost their lives on Ireland’s roads in 2017 compared to 186 in 2016.

In 2017, there was a decline in road deaths across all road user groups in Ireland, except pedal cyclists, when compared to 2016. In 2016, Ireland ranked 5th amongst EU countries in terms of road safety. Deaths on Irish roads have decreased by 26% since 2010.

The ETSC report cites improved legislation, such as new drug driving laws, greater traffic law enforcement activities and road safety campaigns as having played a part in reducing the number of deaths on Irish roads.

In June Ms Moyagh Murdock, CEO, RSA, said:

“The vast majority of road users are heeding the safety messages and using our roads in a responsible way, however a small number continue to defy road safety laws and the results are devastating. ‘Ireland is still a long way off achieving its road safety targets as set out in the Government Road Safety Strategy 2013 to 2020. The Strategy has set the task of making Ireland’s roads as safe as the best performing countries in the European Union, specifically to reduce road deaths on Irish roads to 124 or fewer by 2020. This means there must be a further 22% reduction in road deaths on 2017 numbers over the next three years.”

Inside Ireland

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